Changing Times
by BabyBlueGrl02
Summary: Ugh, it's somewhat complicated. But almost everything is explained in the first chapter. It's TheRox!
1. Default Chapter

Okay, I understand that I haven't finished _A Crane's Flight _yet, but I'm still deciding what to do with that and I have this idea that won't go away, and I don't think this will be that long anyway. I got the idea from Usher's song called "Confession Part II" and this fanfic has almost nothing to do with the song, but I'm mentioning it because the lyrics gave me the idea. I really don't want to give anything way, so if there's anything you don't understand after reading the first chapter, just let me know. So I hope you like it!  
  
Title: Changing Times Disclaimer: I own nothing! Rating: PG-13 probably Category: Fox/Theresa  
  
Chapter 1  
  
"Theresa how does it feel to be betrayed by your own fiancé?"  
  
"Theresa, why haven't you called off the engagement?"  
  
"Do you think that you'll be able to trust him again?"  
  
Theresa tried desperately to push pass the dozens of news reporters that were shoving microphones in her face and photographers that were taking countless pictures of her. She watched as Chad Harris, her manager and self-appointed bodyguard, knocked a camera away from her face as they tried to make their way to the car.  
  
"Would you people just get out of our way," Chad said angrily. "Theresa's been through enough, she doesn't need you adding to her problems with your insensitive questions."  
  
"Just answer our questions Theresa, and we'll leave you alone," one reporter said. Theresa took off her sunglasses and stopped walking before speaking.  
  
"Look I understand that all of you have a job to do, but I would really appreciate it if you would let my manager and I just make it to our car; we're on a tight schedule, thank you."  
  
With that said, she placed her sunglasses back on, and lowered her head as she and Chad continued their trek to the car. Upon reaching it, Chad opened the door and allowed Theresa to get in before entering himself.  
  
"You can start driving now," Chad said to the driver before leaning back in the chair. He turned to see Theresa gazing out the window at the reporters who were still taking pictures, despite the tinted windows on the black jeep.  
  
"How ya doing, Resa?" he asked with concern. Theresa turned to him with a large smile before replying.  
  
"I'm fine Chad, everything's okay," she said with a bit too much enthusiasm.  
  
"Resa, I know you better than that. Just because you have to be strong for the cameras doesn't mean you have to be strong for me," he said. Seeing Theresa's eyes start to water, he opened his arms for her. "Come here," he said.  
  
Theresa gratefully went into his open arms and took a deep sigh before allowing the tears to fall.  
  
"It's okay, Resa, it's okay," Chad said in a soothing voice.  
  
"No it's not Chad, everything's so messed up and I don't know how to fix it," Theresa replied through her sobs.  
  
"You could start with making it easier on yourself, Theresa. I don't understand why you're still with him," Chad said.  
  
"You know why, Chad," Theresa said with a sigh as she lifted her head from his shoulder. "I love him."  
  
"Look, Theresa—"  
  
"Chad, please, don't. As it is, I know I'm going to hear this from Whitney as soon as I get home. Let's not do this again."  
  
"Fine," Chad replied. "Whitney's better than I am at knocking some sense into you anyway," he added as the truck stopped in front of the large, Los Angeles apartment building.  
  
"Thanks, Louis," Chad said to the driver. "Whitney and I will be down in about twenty minutes."  
  
"Okay, Mr. Harris," the driver said before Theresa and Chad exited the car and headed to Theresa's apartment. When they entered the large penthouse, they were greeted with the sight Whitney Russell, famous model and Theresa's best friend.  
  
"Hey Whit," Theresa said with a smile.  
  
"Hey Resa, how are you holding up?" she asked with concern as she came over to hug Theresa.  
  
"Fine, just had to go through another onslaught of reporters who wanted to know how it feels to be 'betrayed by my fiancé,'" she replied, adding a sardonic tone towards the end of her statement.  
  
"They also asked why she didn't call of the engagement," Chad added.  
  
"They're not the only ones asking that question," Whitney said.  
  
"Please don't start, Whitney," Theresa said with an exhausted tone before heading to her living room.  
  
"No, I'm going to start," Whitney said, following Theresa with Chad not too far behind. "Jeez, Resa, he cheated on you! Not only did he cheat on you, but he did it with Gwen—his high school sweetheart!"  
  
"Ethan and I were having problems by then, Whitney. He couldn't help it that he lost control once and everyone messes up at least once" Theresa defended.  
  
"Theresa, he got her pregnant! This isn't some dumb mistake—it's a life- altering act of stupidity," Whitney reasoned.  
  
"It was a mistake! They were drunk and they thought they used protection."  
  
"Damn it Resa, what's wrong with you!?" Whitney asked angrily. "Aren't you tired of being hurt every time Ethan talks about his unborn child? Don't the unrelenting reporters who embarrass you everyday with their questions about your cheating fiancé aggravate you? What about your music career? I know love is more important to you than your career, but it's got to be worrying you that the media is using this situation to ruin you. Why are you putting up with this? Ethan may claim to love you, but he didn't show his love that night he slept with Gwen and he sure as hell doesn't show it every time he comes over to show you the latest sonogram of the baby he and Gwen created behind your back."  
  
Theresa sat on her couch, listening as Whitney continued to rant on Ethan. She had been used to it by now. Since Ethan had told her of his betrayal almost four months ago, Whitney had been trying desperately to get Theresa to leave Ethan. But Theresa couldn't do it—she knew she couldn't. The fact was that Ethan had been in her life for over three years and she needed him too much to give him away now. And that's why when Ethan told her that he was going to have a baby with Gwen almost four months ago, Theresa yelled, cried, but in the end, still forgave him. Theresa knew Whitney or Chad, or even her family would never understand why she stayed with Ethan, so she resigned herself to listening to their rants until they finally realized that she was ignoring them.  
  
"Stop ignoring me, Resa!" Whitney said, seeing the dazed look on Theresa's face.  
  
"What do you expect, Whit? I've been hearing the same speech almost everyday for the past four months!"  
  
"I'm trying to help you, Resa. I don't care how well you think you're fooling yourself, I know you're not happy; at least not as happy as you used to be—before Ethan became such an idiot."  
  
"Please don't insult him, Whit," Theresa said. "And if you hate him so much, you might want to leave soon because he's coming over in about twenty minutes."  
  
"What!?" Whitney and Chad asked angrily.  
  
"What?" Theresa asked innocently. "We've still got a crap-load of things to take care of for the wedding and I start recording my new album tomorrow morning with my new producer; I'm not going to have much time for a while."  
  
"I still can't believe you're going through with this wedding," Chad said with a shake of his head.  
  
"Well believe it," Theresa said. "Now unless you're going to help us plan, get out," she said as she shooed them towards her door.  
  
"What are we supposed to do?" Whitney asked.  
  
"How should I know? You're a young, all-American couple—figure it out," Theresa replied before opening the door for them.  
  
"Fine, we're leaving," Whitney said while slipping her hand into Chad's. "But before I go, I left a magazine on your coffee table, maybe it'll help knock some sense into you," she said.  
  
"Well according to Chad, if you can't, no one can. But I'll read it anyway; bye guys."  
  
"Bye Resa," they replied before leaving down the hallway.  
  
Theresa closed her door before walking back into her living room to read what Whitney had left for her. She picked up the magazine and began reading aloud:  
  
_**"And Baby Make Three"**_  
  
_Rich socialites, Ethan Winthrop and Gwen Hotchkiss are preparing to welcome their first child into the world. Winthrop, a current high- profiled lawyer, and Hotchkiss, daughter of business tycoon Jonathan Hotchkiss, were high school sweethearts that drifted apart soon after they graduated. By a chance meeting almost one year ago, Winthrop and Hotchkiss were able to rebuild their old friendship. Although Winthrop is engaged to singer Theresa Lopez-Fitzgerald, he has assured the public that he will play a very active role in his child's life: "'I'm looking forward to the birth of my child. I can't wait to hold him or her in my arms,'" Ethan told a reporter recently. Congratulations to Ethan and Gwen—we wish them the best of luck._  
  
Theresa sadly closed the magazine after reading the article. She should have known Whitney would show her something like this.  
  
"Ignore it, Theresa," she said to herself. "Ethan loves you and you love him; that's all that matters."  
  
Feeling only a little more confident, Theresa quickly threw away the magazine before beginning to bring out the materials she and Ethan would need for tonight. After setting everything up, Theresa looked at her watch, wondering why Ethan still had not arrived. After waiting another thirty minutes, Theresa began to worry why Ethan had not yet arrived.  
  
"He's almost never late for anything," she said to herself. "He's probably being followed by reporters," Theresa said before reaching for her phone and calling his cell. After a few rings, Ethan answered.  
  
"Hello?" he said.  
  
"Ethan, honey, where are you?" Theresa asked.  
  
"I'm on my way out of work, why?" Ethan asked.  
  
"You were supposed to be over here almost an hour ago," Theresa replied.  
  
"Oh, baby, I'm so sorry. I totally forgot," Ethan replied.  
  
"It's okay, you've got a lot on your mind. Just come over now."  
  
"Oh, man, Resa, you know I'd love to, but I promised Gwen I'd stop by her house and keep her company. The baby's been kicking all day and she hasn't been feeling her best," he said regretfully. "I'm so sorry."  
  
Theresa sighed sadly, trying to suppress the tears that threatened to fall from her eyes.  
  
"It's okay, babe, I understand," she lied.  
  
"Are you sure? I could probably stop by later tonight after I visit Gwen," Ethan said, hating himself for what he was putting Theresa through.  
  
"No, I have to be at the studio early tomorrow morning. I'm just going to go to sleep now."  
  
"Okay, I'm sorry again. I promise I'll find a way to make it up to you," Ethan said.  
  
"I'm sure you will," Theresa replied, already knowing she would find a dozen roses in front of her apartment door by the time she woke up the next day. Money always seemed to be Ethan's solution to any and every problem they came across. "Look I'll talk to you later, have fun with Gwen and give her my best."  
  
"I will, and thanks again for being so understanding. I love you."  
  
"No problem; I love you too," Theresa replied before hanging up the phone. "So much for wedding plans," she muttered to herself. Too tired, sad, and upset to clean up all that she laid out, Theresa simply shut off her lights and headed to her room.  
  
"Another lonely night—big surprise," she said to herself as she entered her room and prepared for bed. Ten minutes later she was buried under her covers and ready to sleep. She turned to the picture frame she kept on the dresser beside her bed; it was a picture of her and Ethan on their first date. They looked so happy and carefree—like they were invincible.  
  
"Oh, how times change," she said with a regretful sigh before cutting off the light and falling asleep.  
  
TBC...  
  
Please leave feedback!!! 


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2  
  
Theresa hurriedly rushed around her apartment, looking for her sneakers. She looked at the clock and realized she had only ten minutes to make it to the studio.  
  
"Crap, I'm going to be so late," she muttered to herself as she finally found her shoes. Quickly, she grabbed her bag and opened her door only to come face-to-face with Chad with a dozen roses in his hand.  
  
"So I'm guessing lover boy screwed up again," he said as he waved the flowers in front of her.  
  
"For your information, Ethan doesn't have to have a reason for sending me flowers," Theresa defended immediately.  
  
"Yeah, sure, I believe that one," Chad said sarcastically as he walked into her apartment and carelessly dropped the flowers on a nearby table.  
  
"You could at least put them in the vase," Theresa muttered before placing the flowers in the vase located on the same table that Chad placed the flowers. "What are you doing here anyway? I thought I was supposed to meet you at the studio."  
  
"I called you about three times this morning before I finally realized that you probably overslept," Chad replied. "This new producer is really good and he's not the type of guy that waits for anyone."  
  
"You think he'll be mad?" Theresa asked in a worried tone.  
  
"I don't know, but let's get out of here just in case," Chad replied before leading Theresa out of the apartment.  
  
Half an hour later, Theresa and Chad rushed into Harmony Records, Theresa record label. Rushing into the studio, Theresa ran right into a tall, muscular body. Looking up, Theresa found herself staring at a man with beautiful hazel eyes and an agitated scowl across his face.  
  
"Oh, I'm so sorry," Theresa apologized.  
  
"Well it's about time you showed up," the man replied in an annoyed tone. "Do you think you're the only one with plans?"  
  
"Excuse me?" Theresa asked in an indignant tone. Who the hell did this guy think he was? "What's that supposed to mean?" she asked.  
  
"It means I've been waiting over thirty minutes for you to finally show up," the man replied.  
  
"Who the hell are you?" Theresa asked.  
  
"Nicolas Foxworth Crane, Fox for short," he replied. "I'm your new producer and as you can see, I've been waiting for you to grace us with your presence," he added.  
  
"Well consider yourself graced," Theresa replied sarcastically with a roll of her eyes. "And you wouldn't happen to be _the_ Fox 'playboy of the century' Crane, would you?" she asked, recalling the various stories she'd heard of Fox Crane and his many escapades with beautiful ladies.  
  
"That's none of your concern," Fox replied tersely. "Your concern is that I've been here because you and your people decided you needed my talents for this album of yours; the least you could do is show up on time since I'm doing _you_ the favor," Fox replied.  
  
"Doing me a favor? You're here because of the money that I and 'my people' are paying you, so don't act like you're doing some big selfless act," Theresa replied angrily.  
  
"Look I don't need this—I could leave right now," Fox replied.  
  
"Well the door's right there," Theresa replied smugly while pointing to the door.  
  
"Wait, wait, Fox," Chad said, cutting in. "You'll have to forgive Theresa, she's not her best today," he said, knowing Fox was too good of a producer to let slip away  
  
"Look, her issues with her boyfriend and his pregnant lover are not my problem," Fox replied without interest.  
  
"My personal life is none of your business," Theresa replied angrily. "And you'd do well to mind your own damn business where Ethan and I are concerned," she added.  
  
"Well maybe it'd be easier if you and lover boy weren't in every magazine and on every television station sharing your problems with the world."  
  
"With all do respect, Fox, you're completely out of line," Chad said, quickly coming to Theresa's defense. While he disapproved of Theresa's relationship with Ethan, he would never sit back and let anyone use her relationship with him as a weapon against her.  
  
"And with all do respect, Chad, I'm a busy man and I don't have time to deal with an artist who doesn't even show up on time to our first session," Fox replied.  
  
"Well she's here now, so could we please try to work together on this album?" Chad asked looking back and forth between Theresa and Fox.  
  
"Fine," Fox said reluctantly, holding out his hand for Theresa to shake. Theresa looked at his hand wearily, as if she were expecting it to bite her, before finally slipping her hand in his.  
  
"Just show up on time to our next session," Fox added under his breath.  
  
"I might be busy with lover boy but I'll get back to you on that," Theresa replied out of spite with a smug smile before walking away and heading into the recording booth.  
  
Fox stood in his same position watching Theresa as she slipped on her headphones and waited for Fox to begin.  
  
"Uh, hello? Weren't you the one that said you were a busy man? Let's hurry up and get to work," she said. Fox gave a small smirk and shook his head before taking a seat and getting to work.  
  
Almost three hours later, Fox and Theresa were still working on the same song and they were both quickly becoming agitated.  
  
"Damn it, Theresa, could you try and sing like you have a heart buried somewhere in there?" Fox asked through intercom in an annoyed tone.  
  
"Um, excuse me, I've been singing like this since my first album and as you can tell, this is album number three and I'm still at the top of this business," Theresa replied confidently.  
  
"Well I don't know what the hell you did on those other two albums, but you sure as hell aren't doing it now," Fox said. "How about you try and put some feeling into the lyrics this time," he said before playing the beats again.  
  
Theresa began singing the song as soon as she heard the beat. She tried to do as Fox told her, but could figure out what she was doing different from her previous album recordings. Fox, meanwhile, listened as Theresa once again sang a song about love as though she were simply watching a scene rather than actually to live through it. This wasn't the voice that he knew. Granted, their first encounter was very pleasant, but even Fox couldn't deny that Theresa had an amazing voice. He'd heard her sing; he'd bought her albums and replayed them until the CD scratched and he was forced to buy another one; hell, he'd even been to a few of her concerts. And in all those times, he had never seen or heard Theresa as emotionally detached from her songs as she was now. This wasn't the singer he signed on to work with and this wasn't the singer he was going to put up with. Coming to a decision, Fox quickly stopped the beats from playing and pressed the intercom button.  
  
"Theresa, could come out here?" he asked curtly before getting up and waiting for her to exit the booth. Theresa sighed loudly before exiting the booth to face Fox.  
  
"You rang?" she said sarcastically.  
  
"What the hell are you doing?" he asked as soon as she stood in front of him.  
  
"I'm trying to sing, but this guy keeps interrupting me just so that he can yell at me about my voice," Theresa replied, looking pointedly at Fox.  
  
"Last time I checked, what you were doing wasn't called singing," Fox replied.  
  
"Oh, really? Well what do _you_ call it?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.  
  
"I call it wasting my time," Fox replied exasperatingly. "Where the hell did you get this song that you're singing?" he asked seemingly out of nowhere.  
  
"I wrote it while I was on tour late last year," Theresa replied.  
  
"Well there's your problem," Fox replied.  
  
"Excuse me!?" Theresa replied angrily. "I'll have you know that I'm very proud of my writing and I won't have you putting it down," she said, barely holding back from giving him the verbal lashing of his life.  
  
"I'm not trying to put down your writing," Fox quickly clarified. "What I was referring to was when you wrote the songs. These songs are about love and you wrote them when you were happily in love with that Ian guy."  
  
"It's Ethan," Theresa corrected.  
  
"Whatever," Fox said, not really caring what his name was. "My point is that over the past few months you're obviously not as lovesick and naive as you were when you wrote this song. You've been betrayed, probably even had your heartbroken, and you can't be expected to sing a song about the joys of love when you're slowly having your heart being ripped apart with each painful lyric reminding you of happier times."  
  
"What makes you such an expert on my feelings and what I'm going through?" Theresa asked defiantly, angry that Fox's words affected her more than she would have expected. "I'm not having my heart being broken—I am perfectly happy with Ethan, not that it's any of your business. And since you seem to pay so much attention to my love life, you should know that we are still happily engaged, so your little analysis on me is pretty much moot."  
  
"I see you on TV; I see your eyes. Not to mention your pathetic attempt at singing for the past three hours," he replied.  
  
"Well I suggest you pay more attention to my beats and music and less on my eyes and emotions," Theresa said, quickly wanting Fox to take the conversation away from her already fragile relationship with Ethan. "Your job is to make sure I do mine—nothing more, nothing less."  
  
"Fine," Fox replied coldly, not used to anyone giving him as much attitude as Theresa. "Look, here's my number," he said, shoving a card in her face. "When you decide to sing with some feeling, give me a call and I'll be sure to 'do my job,'" he said icily before grabbing his jacket and storming out of the building.  
  
Theresa watched as Fox stormed out the room, angry at Fox for thinking he had a right to tell her what she was feeling, and angry at herself because she was afraid that if she really thought about it, she'd agree with him.  
  
"Damn him," she muttered.  
  
"So, I'm guessing that didn't go too well," Chad said slowly as he walked into the room to see Theresa seething angrily.  
  
"You guessed right," Theresa replied. "I can't work with him Chad—it just won't work," she said.  
  
"Well you don't have a choice," Chad replied. "Look, Resa, I love you, but I have to tell you the truth. And the truth is people are expecting this album to fail. With the whole Ethan/Gwen situation, a lot of people are expecting you to lose and unless you have only the best people working on this album, it just may happen," he said honestly.  
  
"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Theresa said sarcastically.  
  
"You know that besides your family and Whitney, I'm your biggest supporter, but that fact is it's going to take more that your amazing voice to make this album successful. Too many people are rooting for it to fail for us to depend solely on your voice. We need good beats and original songs."  
  
"So what are you saying?" Theresa asked.  
  
"I'm saying that you should go home, get some rest, and call Fox tonight before you go to sleep," Chad said, as Theresa begin to protest.  
  
"But—"  
  
"No buts, Resa. I'm sorry but Fox is a well-respected producer, and he knows what he's doing. Now I don't know what went down in here, but whatever it was, I'm sure Fox knew what he was talking about. So go home, rest, and make sure you call and apologize before the night is over," he said as he began to user out of the room.  
  
"Fine," Theresa said dejectedly. "But I refuse to let him control this album—it's my creation too."  
  
"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it," Chad said. "Now go home. I'll call you tonight to see how everything is. And Theresa, please be nice—I'd rather not have to call Fox in the middle of the night to apologize and beg for forgiveness on behalf on you."  
  
"I make no promises," Theresa replied before grabbing her jacket and purse and leaving the room.  
  
"How the hell am I going to deal with them for the rest of this album?" Chad asked himself before shaking his head. Whatever was the problem between Fox and Theresa, Chad knew the next few months would probably be the most eventful months of both their lives.  
  
TBC...  
  
Please, please leave feedback!!! 


	3. Chapter 3

Omg, I'm soo sorry I haven't updated this story! I have a couple more chapters written and posted them on another website, but I had forgotten that I was posting on I'm not sure if anyone's still interested in this fic, but here's chapter 3. If people are still reading, I'll add the rest!

Chapter 3

Fox angrily entered his large L.A. penthouse, occasionally muttering obscenities under his breath. Although he had left the studios almost two hours ago, he was still reeling from his interaction with Theresa. No one had ever talked to him the way she had.

"And I was just trying to help her!" he said loudly to his empty house. "Screw this, I've got better things to do," he said to himself before picking up his phone and dialing a number. He waited for someone to answer the phone.

"Hello?" a female voice said.

"Hey gorgeous, it's me," Fox said seductively.

"Hey handsome, what's up?" the girl replied.

"Well, I've got some time on my hands, mind if I stop by?" he asked. He never invited a girl to his house—it indicated more commitment than he was willing to show.

"Sure," she replied giddily.

"Cool, I'll be there in twenty minutes. Oh, and wear something sexy Allison," Fox said with a smirk.

"My name's Amber," the girl corrected.

"Amber, right, that's what I meant," Fox said flippantly, more interested in what she'd be wearing than what her name was.

"Sure," Amber said with a roll of her eyes, knowing that Allison was probably a girl that Fox hooked up with last night. "I'll see you soon."

"Okay, bye," Fox said before hanging up. This was just what he needed to keep his mind off his confrontation with Theresa—a few hours of fun with his girl of the week.

Meanwhile…

Theresa walked dejectedly into her apartment, still angry with Fox for critiquing her, and Chad for making her be the one to apologize. It wasn't like she was the one handing out the insults! Angrily, Theresa changed into a tank top and sweats before grabbing a box of ice cream and settling down in front of the television in her living room. She was fully prepared to seethe in her anger for the next few hours before swallowing her pride and apologizing to Fox. However, the sound of her doorbell let Theresa know that her plans would have to be put on hold. Having an idea of who was at the door, Theresa sighed loudly before placing her ice cream on the table and going to open the door.

"No, Chad, I didn't call him yet," Theresa said as she opened the door. She was surprised when, instead of seeing Chad, she came face to face with Ethan.

"It's not very often I get confused for Chad," Ethan joked.

"Ethan?" Theresa said with a bright smile. "What are you doing here? Why aren't you at work?"

"Let me in and I might tell you," Ethan said with a smile.

"Oh, yeah, sorry," Theresa said sheepishly before letting him in. As soon as she closed the door, Ethan grabbed her by the waist and pulled her in for a tender kiss. Theresa gave into the kiss before the need for air become to great and she had to pull away.

"What was that for?" she asked while trying to catch her breath.

"Do I need a reason?"

"Good point," Theresa said before leading him into the living room. "So, care to tell me while you're not at the office putting in your average 22 hours of work?"

"Is it that bad?" he asked.

"Let's see," Theresa said, pretending to ponder the situation. "In the past 2 weeks, I've seen you twice and talked to you on the phone only about 4 times. You do the math," she said.

"I know, and I'm really sorry. Things have just been really hectic with work and Gwen and the baby," Ethan explained. He stopped himself from elaborating on Gwen and the baby when he saw the flicker on pain come across Theresa's face at the mention of them. "Anyway, I thought it would be nice to finally spend some time alone with my beautiful fiancée," he said while running his hand through her hair.

"So, I have you for the rest of the day?" Theresa asked excitedly. It had been so long since she and Ethan were able to really enjoy time together. Every time they tried to go out, reporters would harass them, and whenever they tried to stay in, Ethan's clients or Gwen kept interrupting them.

"Well at least for the next five or six hours. I still have to fax over some papers to one of my clients before midnight."

"I'll take what I can get," Theresa said.

"So, want to tell me who you're supposed to call today and why you expected Chad to come over to make sure you did?" Ethan asked, remembering Theresa's initial greeting to him when he came over.

"I'm working with a new producer and he and I didn't exactly start off on good terms. Long story short, he stormed out of the studio and Chad is making me apologize to him before the end of the night," Theresa explained.

"Ah, I see," Ethan said. "Does this new producer have a name?"

"Nicolas Foxworth Crane, but apparently he prefers Fox," Theresa replied with a roll of her eyes.

"Isn't he some big womanizer in the entertainment world?" Ethan asked, recalling hearing bits and pieces about Fox on television.

"Yep, the one and only," Theresa replied. "But he's supposed to be a really good producer, so I have to be nice," Theresa said with a pout.

"I'm sure you'll work it out," Ethan replied. "Enough about him, I've got hours to spare, what do you want to do?"

"Oh!" Theresa exclaimed happily. "We can finally work on preparations for the wedding!"

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's get started," Ethan said, unable to resist Theresa's contagious excitement.

"Great!" Theresa said before running to get everything prepared.

A few hours later, Ethan and Theresa were still trying to decide where to get married. They had spent the last twenty minutes arguing over it and still couldn't reach a decision.

"Theresa, can we please make this decision sometime before the end of the year," Ethan said while rubbing her forehead.

"Fine, we'll come back to location," Theresa said, also tired of trying to agree on a place. "Let's set a date."

"What do you have in mind?" Ethan asked.

"Well, I'm going to be pretty busy with the album for the next four or five months, and then soon after that, I'll probably go on tour," Theresa explained.

"And leave me for a good three to five months," Ethan said sadly. He always hated when Theresa went on tour; they were rarely able to see each other.

"Yeah, I know it sucks," Theresa said, understand what Ethan was feeling. "So I was thinking, maybe we could get married between the time I finish my album and the time before I go on tour."

"That would be in September or October," Ethan said.

"Yeah, it'd be good to have a autumn wedding," Theresa said excitedly. "So, what do you think?" she asked with a hopeful smile.

"It sounds great, but…" Ethan trailed off.

"What is it? Do you not want an autumn wedding?" Theresa asked.

"It's not that, it's just that," Ethan paused, unsure of how to explain himself to Theresa.

"Spit it out, Ethan."

"The thing is, the baby is due in early or mid-October and Gwen's probably going to be in the hospital by late September. As the father, I think it's only fair that I devote a lot of my attention to Gwen and the baby between September and November," he explained.

Theresa felt as though she had been hit with ice-cold water. How could he do this to her? It wasn't enough that she had to give up spending time with him so he could spend it with Gwen, but now he was asking her to put her wedding on hold? _'You don't deserve this,'_ Theresa could hear Whitney's voice in her head. And Chad's. And her family's. And they were right—she didn't deserve this. _'But you love him,'_ another voice echoed in her head. And taking a deep breath, Theresa decided it would be the latter voice that she would listen to.

"I understand," came her simple reply.

"Really?" Ethan asked in shock. Even he hadn't expected Theresa to be so understanding about this decision.

"Yes, I completely understand," Theresa forced out sadly. "If I were in your position, I'd want do the same thing," she added.

"Thank you so much, baby," Ethan said with a joyous smile before pulling her into a hug. He was too caught up in his excitement to notice Theresa unresponsive posture. "You have no idea how much this means to me," he added.

"I'm glad I can make you happy," Theresa replied with a forced smile as she and Ethan pulled away. "So how are Gwen and the baby?" she asked, not wanting Ethan to realize how hurt she really was.

"They're very good. Gwen and I decided we don't want to know the sex of the baby, so we're going to wait," he said happily.

"That's good, so you guys will have a nice surprise on delivery day," she replied with an overly bright smile.

"Yeah, I can't wait! It's so cute, Resa, I know Gwen's only four months along, but when I talk to her stomach, I feel like the baby is actually listening to me," he said excitedly, completely ignorant of the painful expressions that came across Theresa's face with every word out of his mouth.

"That sounds great, honey," Theresa said, trying hard to be as enthusiastic as Ethan, regardless of how much it killed her.

"It's really amazing," Ethan said as a dazed expression came across his face. Watching him, Theresa was hurt once again by the almost blissful expression that always came across his face whenever he thought about the baby. She couldn't deal with anymore hurt tonight.

"Speaking a Gwen and the baby, you should probably go check on them before you go back to the office," she suggested.

"What? Are you sure? I could stay for another hour or two," Ethan said.

"Yeah, I'm sure. We can discuss the rest of the wedding plans later," she replied quickly. She didn't want him to stay—she wanted to curl up in a ball and cry.

"Well, as long as you're okay with it, I'll go. I wanted to spend a little time with the baby anyway," Ethan said excitedly before getting up from the couch and heading to the door as Theresa followed.

"Have fun," she said as she opened the door.

"I will," Ethan replied. "Thanks again for being so understanding. I promise that once this baby is born and everything settle down, we can get married," he said, as though he were making the best promise known to mankind.

"I know we will," Theresa said with a sigh, too hurt to let his words bring on any feelings of anger. "I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Okay, bye," he said before kissing her cheek and leaving the apartment.

Theresa closed the door before throwing herself on her couch. She could feel the tears building up inside of her, but they didn't fall. She was tired of crying. Sometimes it was just easier for her to keep the tears inside. She knew from experience that once the tears started, they'd never stop. Sighing, Theresa grabbed the card the Fox has thrust at her earlier that day and prepared to give him a call before going to sleep. She was heading to her room when she heard her doorknob jiggle before she saw Whitney enter the apartment.

"You know, when I gave you my spare key, it was in case of emergencies, not for you to stop by at 11 pm," Theresa said. Although she sounded serious, Whitney could automatically detect that she was just joking.

"Well considering the fact that I just saw Ethan leave, I'd say this is an emergency," Whitney replied. Theresa simply rolled her eyes.

"Whitney, no," Theresa said forcefully. She couldn't deal with one of Whitney's speeches now. Whitney was about to argue when she saw the sad expression on Theresa's face.

"Resa, sweetheart, what's wrong?" she asked with concern.

"Nothing," Theresa replied quickly. She took a deep breath before changing her answer. "Everything."

Whitney immediately went to Theresa. Theresa welcomed Whitney's comforting embrace and allowed her feelings to take control of her. Today was just more stressful than she would have liked.

"What happened?" Whitney asked.

Theresa led Whitney to her couch before recounting the day's events; she told everything from her interaction with Fox to her evening with Ethan. She ended with Ethan's enthusiastic departure from her apartment.

"Why are you doing this to yourself, Resa. You're so much better than him," Whitney said, feeling her friend's pain as though it were her own.

"I love him Whit. I know I shouldn't after what he did, but I do. And regardless of what anyone tells me, I can't bring myself to say goodbye to him," Theresa explained. "And please don't argue—I'm too exhausted," she added.

"Fine, I won't, but just this once. Don't get used to it " she replied, hoping to gain a small smile from Theresa. Theresa smiled slightly.

"Thanks," she said.

"But honestly, if you really want to make things work with him, I'll try and refrain from putting him down. You've got enough to deal with without having to constantly defend him and your relationship to me. So, while I don't accept this, I'll try to keep my opinion to myself unless I think it's absolutely necessary that I knock some sense into you." Theresa laughed at her last statement before replying.

"I don't anybody's ever actually been able to," she joked. "Anyway, enough about me, why'd you stop by?"

"I wanted to pick up a shirt that I left here; I want to wear it to my photo shoot tomorrow," Whitney replied.

"It's in my room," Theresa replied. "You can just get it, I left it on the dresser."

"Thanks," Whitney replied before heading to Theresa's room. "Do want company tonight? I could just call Chad and have him drop off some clothes?" she yelled from the room.

"No, that's okay, I think I'm just going to go to sleep anyway," Theresa yelled back.

"After you call Fox," Whitney reminded.

"Oh yes, wouldn't want to forget that," Theresa replied with a roll of her eyes as Whitney reentered the living room.

"Okay, Resa, I'm going to head home. If you need anything, give me a call, okay?"

"Don't worry, I'll be fine," Theresa assured. "Just lock the door on your way out."

"Okay, bye, sweetie," Whitney said before leaving.

"Okay, no point in delaying the inevitable," Theresa said to herself after Whitney left. She grabbed her phone and quickly dialed Fox's phone number before waiting for him to answer.

Meanwhile…

Fox slipped his tongue into Amber throat, as he felt her run her hands against his back. They had spent most of the afternoon moving about town and making out in whatever private corner they could fit themselves into. They had finally decided to go back to Amber's apartment and finish what they kept starting in public. Just as Fox was about to remove Amber's shirt, he heard his phone ring.

"Ignore it," Amber pleaded as she tried to remove Fox's shirt.

"Can't," Fox replied. "It might be important," he added as he pulled away from her.

"And this isn't?" Amber asked angrily.

"Not compared to my job," Fox replied honestly before answering his phone. "Hello?" he said.

"Hello, Fox? It's Theresa Lopez-Fitzgerald."

"Theresa? Look I'm busy, so if you're calling to bite my head off again…"

"Yeah, about that," Theresa said. "I called to apologize."

"Ex-excuse me?" Fox asked, surprised at the apology.

"I understand that you were just trying to help and I guess I just took my problems out on you," Theresa said, although she was still confident in the fact that she was right and Fox was wrong.

"Um, thanks, I appreciate it," Fox replied, still confused by the turn of events.

"No problem. So I'll see you in the studio tomorrow?" she asked.

"Depends—do you plan to sing with feeling tomorrow?" Fox asked, wanting to make sure that he wouldn't be wasting his time.

"I'll do my best," Theresa replied through gritted teeth. She was only a few seconds away from hanging up on him.

"Good, I'll see you bright and early tomorrow morning," Fox said.

"Great," Theresa forced out. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight," Fox replied before hanging up.

"Who was that?" Amber asked.

"An artist I'm working with," Fox said as he pulled himself up and started to put on his shoes.

"Where are you going?"

"I've got to be at the studio really early tomorrow. I need to get some sleep," he said as he put his jacket on.

"Why can't you get it here?" she purred.

"Because I have to get my beats prepared for tomorrow," he replied while walking to the door. "It's been fun, maybe I'll call you sometime." And without a second glance he was out the door and on his way home to prepare himself for his next meeting with Theresa.

TBC…


End file.
